Sapphire Rain: Classic Bleach Version
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When Tetsuya is abducted and subjected to a banned and deadly ritual, Byakuya and Renji vow to bring his attackers to justice. Forced into an untenable position, Byakuya claims Tetsuya as his Breeder, an act that requires them to make a child together. But taking that action could end Tetsuya's life...Byakuya/Renji/Tetsuya, yaoi, mpreg


**Sapphire Rain -Classic Bleach Version**

**By Spunky0ne**

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**(**_**This story is a request by Picklez80, who begged me to rewrite Sapphire Rain as a Classic Bleach story. I will also finish the AU version, but I think it will be enjoyable to explore it this way too. There will be some substantial changes. Also, I can include characters like Ichigo, Rukia and Renji, who were not included in the AU version. It will be interesting to see what direction this takes! Thanks so much for the awesome suggestion! I will re-post the AU version as soon as I can edit. Oh, and while the AU is Bya/Tetsuya, this will be Bya/Renji/Tetsuya! Enjoy the story!)**_

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**Chapter 1: Moonless Madness**

"Tetsuya-san," said Kuchiki Koji, flash stepping to his cousin's side, "Word just arrived from the sixth division that Byakuya-sama will be late arriving home tonight. He says he regretfully must stay at the council hall to meet with Soutaichou and several council members about the recent deaths."

"Arigato, Koji-san," the head of manor security said, nodding, "I am not surprised it's taking longer than expected. Three powerful noble shinigamis have been abducted, recently, then found murdered. Something must be done to stop whoever is doing this."

He sighed softly.

"I think we all shall be working overtime on this. And I want you to be cautious, Koji-san. From now on, when you come to me to pass on messages like this, do not come unescorted."

"Hai," Tetsuya's attendant said, bowing, "I will be careful."

"I would not want harm to come to you, Cousin," Tetsuya said gently, "Go now. And send a hell butterfly when you arrive at home."

Koji handed his cousin a cup of hot tea, then bowed respectfully.

"Good night, Tetsuya-san."

"Good night, Koji-san."

The youth flash stepped away again, leaving Tetsuya standing alone in the gardens. He walked the garden trails, troubled by the recent developments, but enjoying the sweet smells of the flowers, the soft sound of koi splashing in the pond and the touches of mist preceding the rain that would arrive later. He had just finished his rounds, and was turning back towards the main wing, when suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes and the coal black face of a spirit steed poked through and nudged him. He smiled as the horse emitted a low whicker of greeting.

"Ah, Arashi," he said, smiling and rubbing the beast behind the ears, "Restless tonight, are you?"

He looked up at the cloudy, moonless sky and patted his mount on the long black neck.

"Me too," he said softly, "Not one for being superstitious, but we rarely see such a night. It adds tension to an already difficult situation. Things are tense enough around here as it is. Not that a brute like you would need to worry, but there are those of us who traverse more tenuous footing than you, my friend."

Arashi snorted and rubbed his face against Tetsuya's affectionately.

"Very well," he said quietly, "I will go back to the barn with you. Byakuya-sama has been kept late at the council hall and I am not likely to fall asleep any time soon."

He surged onto the horse's bare back and laughed softly as the powerful stallion snorted and broke into a trot, heading back for the stables. Once they arrived, he slipped down from the horse's back and offered him a leisurely rubdown before filling his feed box and watching as he drank from his watering trough.

"Will there be anything else, your majesty?" the noble joked, laughing again as the horse snorted and blew sweet hay-scented breath at him, "Good. Well then, I'm off. Good night, Arashi."

The horse tossed his head and neighed softly. Tetsuya left the barn and returned to the trail that led back to the gardens, not noticing the dark form that moved to the barn door and closed and locked the black stallion inside. He did, however, notice the odd reiatsu that rose around him as the wind and mist blew down the trail and lightning flashed, preceding the coming storm. He paused for a moment, his hand straying to his zanpakutou. His sharp senses scanned the area but found nothing, just that touch of disturbed reiatsu.

He started to walk on, but gasped in surprise as flash steps sounded around him and dark, cloaked forms blocked his path in all directions. Their faces were masked, but they were definitely shinigamis, not hollows. He drew his weapon and extended his senses, waiting for the first to step in and strike. But he discovered quickly that the men were well prepared and that his abduction had been meticulously planned. The group struck as one, firing binding spells from all directions and quickly incapacitating him. He crashed to the ground and was bound and gagged, then someone leaned close to him and he felt the pinprick of an injection. And as Tetsuya's terrified mind sank into darkness, two words reached him through the sound of thunder and the feeling of the first raindrops on his skin.

"_Half-blood!"_

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Byakuya looked up sharply as the door to the sixth division office was thrown open and a young courier from the manor burst in.

"Kuchiki-sama!" he panted, "You must come quickly! There has been another attack! This time at the manor. Sir, your cousin, Tetsuya-san has been terribly injured!"

"Damn!" Renji said, rising and following as Byakuya came to his feet and flash stepped out the division doors, "Another one..."

The space between the sixth division and Kuchiki Manor disappeared in a blur as Byakuya's mind spun and his heart pounded furiously. He ran through the front gates of the manor, with Renji at his side, and was met by his attendant.

"Torio-kun," he said, stridently, "Where is my cousin?"

"In his chambers, sir," Torio answered in a trembling voice, "Our healer is with him. Koji too, but he is beside himself. Byakuya-sama, Tetsuya-san is hurt very badly…"

Byakuya and Renji flash stepped away and down the walkway, out of the main wing and into the building next to it. They stopped in the doorway, staring at the devastating sight within the room.

Tetsuya was lain face down on the bed, his slender body bared and eerily lit with the healing green light that flared around the healer's hands. His long, black hair had been raggedly cut away and even in the odd, greenish light, Byakuya could see the heavy bruising that seemed to cover the young man's entire body. The clan leader's breath caught sharply and his reiatsu flared as he noticed the long, thick markings indicative of a heavy, bladed whip. And illness swept over him in a hard, choking throb as he spotted the blood on the back of one bruised thigh that signified a much more personal assault.

"Kuchiki-sama," the healer said, motioning for a second healer to take his place, "Let us go out into the gardens to talk."

Byakuya bit at his lip and nodded tersely, then followed the healer out into the gardens, a silent and pale-faced Renji on his heels. They stood under the eaves as the rain pounded down and thunder boomed softly in the distance.

"Tell me what happened," Byakuya said in a low voice, "Tell me everything."

"Seiji, of the manor guard found Tetsuya-san unconscious on the eastern boundary of the grounds about an hour ago, Kuchiki-sama. He was alive, but near death. He appears to have been viciously beaten and sexually assaulted, but sir, he was also subjected to something unspeakable that I have heard of, but have never seen before."

"What do you mean?"

The healer hesitated, his face going pale and his body trembling at his own words.

"He was subjected to an old, forbidden ritual…one banned hundreds of years ago after it was found to be too dangerous, both for its effects on the ones it was inflicted on and because it was reportedly being forced on some nobles to ensure pure bloodlines. It was called…"

"The Breeders' Rite," Byakuya whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Y-you know of it?" the healer asked, meeting his eyes warily.

Byakuya managed a short nod.

"I have seen mention of it in the archives here," he said softly, "It is said that a long time ago, noble prisoners were experimented on to try to invoke the forbidden ritual...but all of them died. _All of them_!"

"I remember reading that," the healer said, his eyes troubled.

"As do I," Byakuya agreed, his reiatsu flaring hotly around him, "But I do not know the details. What can you tell me about it?"

The healer cringed.

"S-sir, the procedure began as a way of ensuring that noble lines would not be forced into impurity, even in the absence of a noble female. It involves the opening of the soul core and placement of a reiatsu chamber inside the body. At the same time, the reproductive capabilities of the person are neutralized so that he is able to gather the reiatsu of a strong shinigami and to be impregnated. The person can bear a shinigami child of equal power to the shinigami father, but can no longer father children himself."

The healer shivered as the clan leader's reiatsu rose again, sharply. Byakuya noticed the man's discomfort and, with an effort, eased the pressure.

"Go on," he said, more calmly.

"Kuchiki-sama, your cousin is in a complicated situation, because he is only half noble. The Breeders' Rite also has, as part of it, an incantation and kido that is meant to assure that the child is pure blooded, even if the breeder is not. But even among nobles, pregnancy of that kind caused many deaths. And with one of impure blood, the kido used in the rite works against the non-noble blood, causing a much higher risk of death."

"But that is only if he is used for that purpose, ne?" queried Byakuya.

"Yes, but…"

"But what?" asked Byakuya, the feeling of illness returning.

"The ones who did this meant to ensure that Tetsuya-san died in this manner. The sexual assault was meant force reiatsu into the chamber."

"Damn it!" Renji exclaimed, white-faced, "Are you saying…?"

"Tetsuya-san would have become pregnant by the ones who assaulted him, and after the beating they gave him, he would not have survived the initial stages of impregnation. He would have died."

"Would have?" Byakuya repeated questioningly, "Then you have…?"

"I purged the reiatsu and tried to analyze it to find the culprits."

"And?"

"The reiatsu was perfectly masked. Kuchiki-sama, we are dealing with high level shinigamis…people of great power."

"Which makes sense," Renji added, "Since the ones who have been taken and killed were also real powerful. These guys are fucking serious!"

"And noble, if they were able to invoke the Breeders' Rite," Byakuya added.

He studied the healer for a moment, then nodded.

"Arigato…for taking care of him," he said softly.

The healer glanced over his shoulder and through the garden doors at the unconscious man in the bed.

"He is a good man, Kuchiki-sama, very kind and loyal. It saddens me the way they have treated him…not allowed a surname or a proper place in the family…"

"I thought to shield him by bringing him to the manor," Byakuya said, gazing in at his cousin, "but even that has failed. Still, you were able to save him. Can you reverse the rite?"

The healer shook his head.

"No one ever has, so there is no information on how such a thing could be done. But you have not heard the worst, Kuchiki-sama."

"Shit," Renji breathed, "There's more?"

Byakuya's face paled, but he kept his gaze steady.

"What is it?"

"Sir, the damage to your cousin's systems because of the attack and because of him being only half noble is extreme. The kido used in the rite not only affected his own reproductive ability, but it severely damaged his spirit centers. I have tried to repair them, using every method I know, but nothing has worked. And your cousin is barely able to generate the reiatsu to be able to tolerate being in Soul Society. If it was any lower, we would be forced to fit him with a permanent gigai and send him to the living world."

"You have to find a way to heal him," Byakuya said, looking into the old healer's eyes, "Michio, you are the most capable shinigami healer in Soul Society. If you cannot…"

"Sir, I cannot even tell you if your cousin will ever open his eyes again. And even if he does, he can no longer be called a shinigami. He is powerless and hasn't the reiatsu of a shinigami. His zanpakutou has disappeared…"

"Re-kuhime is…gone?" Byakuya whispered disbelievingly.

Michio nodded.

"We have made him comfortable and we will, of course, do everything we can to restore him, but you understand what must be, if we fail."

Byakuya closed his eyes against the words.

"I understand," he said softly.

The healer put a hand on Byakuya's shoulder and gazed into his eyes.

"You must take care of yourself while you wait to learn his fate, Kuchiki-sama. I will have Noa bring you some tea and something to eat."

Byakuya nodded briefly as the healer released him and motioned for the assistant healer to leave Byakuya and Renji alone with Tetsuya.

"Taichou," Renji said sadly, his eyes devastated as they gazed down at his injured friend, "Will you tell me something? What did he mean...the healer, when he said 'what must be?' What's gonna happen to Tetsuya?"

Byakuya gave no answer, but walked slowly across the room, hearing the ghost of his cousin's pleasant voice and his easy laughter. He hadn't always been so lively. And now, it seemed, everything was about to come down around him. If he could not be healed, Tetsuya would no longer simply struggle because of his half-breed status. He couldn't even be considered a shinigami anymore.

It was as though the cousin he knew had died already.

When Tetsuya woke to learn his condition, there were no two ways about it. He would be dragged back down into the same darkness that Byakuya had found him in. The sad, sapphire eyes that had met his so long ago would return and the life would drain out of him again. Byakuya sat down beside the bed, his heart a fiery blend of fury and desire for vengeance. He barely managed to hold the emotion down so that he wouldn't crush the vulnerable being lying in the bed in front of him, as the bits of memory fluttered through his spinning mind, replaying themselves. And as they came back, he quietly relayed the story to Renji, who had taken a seat next to him.

Byakuya walked forward at his father's side, his eyes respectfully lowered as he approached the two black clad figures who waited to greet them. They were distant cousins, and the deceased mother was a peasant, so neither she nor the child who stood beside the grieving man ahead of him were even allowed to wear the family name. But in such a situation, at fourteen, and as future leader of the clan, Byakuya had been instructed by his father and his grandfather that it was right to go and offer condolences. Whatever the man had done, this was no time to burden him with criticism about his choices. So he moved forward and as they reached the two, he looked up and found himself instantly mesmerized by the boy's large, sad eyes.

_Not the slate gray that marked his father and most of the Kuchiki nobles, but a bright sapphire blue. He must, Byakuya thought, have inherited them from his mother. His hair was like his father's. long and deep black, but with lovely soft waves instead of just being straight like his. He stood quietly at his father's side and greeted each of the guests as he was supposed to, but there was a distance in the gesture. He met Byakuya's eyes and his widened in recognition._

"_Good morning, Kuchiki-sama," he said in a soft, tired voice, "We are honored."_

"_Good morning, Tetsuya-kun," Byakuya replied solemnly, "We were grieved to hear of your loss."_

_Tetsuya nodded briefly, but said no more. Byakuya and his father and grandfather took their places for the funeral and Byakuya couldn't help but notice how as soon as he fell beneath notice again, the boy's shoulders drooped and his eyes lowered. And as soon as the service ended, he suddenly disappeared. He didn't see the boy again until later, when he heard the sounds of several other young, male relatives talking, and caught sight of Tetsuya concealing himself in some bushes nearby._

"_I don't know why we had to come here anyway…stinking peasants and half bloods!" one said in a bored tone._

"_He should be hanged for marrying beneath him and that little mongrel son of theirs should just be put out of all of our misery, ne?" said another._

"_Yes," agreed the first, "He might as well be buried with her, for all of the use he'll be."_

_Byakuya started forward, but froze for a moment at the sight of Tetsuya's clenched hands, the suddenly proud stature, the unusually strong reiatsu and the fury and pain in the boy's expression. Tetsuya's head turned suddenly and the large blue eyes came to rest on him. Instantly, his face took on a look of panic at having been seen. He shrank back, swallowing hard and brushing the angry tears from his face. _

"_It's okay," Byakuya mouthed, walking past him and blocking the view of him from the other boys._

_He frowned at the other boys and raised his reiatsu, making them step back in surprise._

"_B-byakuya-sama!" the oldest said._

_The others bowed dutifully._

"_Good day, Byakuya-sama."_

"_Hardly," said Byakuya in a low, angry tone, "How dare you come to this place and demean the occasion with your rudeness! You know that our rules require us to maintain strict discipline at all such ceremonies and receptions. Now, go and say your goodbyes and get out of here!"_

"_B-but Byakuya-sama, you know that they are…"_

"_They are shinigamis. They are people. Their needs today are to be respected. Now go!"_

_He smirked to himself as they fell over themselves, flash stepping away. He returned then to the boy still hidden in the bushes and watched as he stood and brushed himself off._

"_You didn't have to do that, Kuchiki-sama," Tetsuya said quietly, "It is no secret how we are seen in their eyes. I am sorry to have let my emotions get the better of me in your presence."_

"_Tetsuya-kun, you have just lost your mother, and those boys had no right to come here and to say those things."_

"_It would not matter in whose house they stood," Tetsuya replied, his eyes growing sad again, "We would still be peasants and half breeds and they would still hate us. I thank you for confronting them, Kuchiki-sama. You likely saved me a beating at their hands. I will be fine now. Please excuse me."_

He flash stepped away, leaving Byakuya shaking his head and staring after him.

Byakuya slipped his hand into his cousin's, shivering at the coldness of it. It was nothing like the slim, warm hand that had trembled in his when he grew curious about how Tetsuya was faring and convinced his father to allow him to be brought to Kuchiki Manor.

"G-good afternoon, Kuchiki-sama," the boy said, not looking up at him, but accepting his hand in greeting.

"_Tetsuya-kun, is something wrong?" he asked, "Look at me."_

_The boy's chin rose, revealing bruises on the porcelain surface of his face. And then, Byakuya saw more bruises revealed in the opening in the front of his kimono._

"_Tetsuya-kun, what happened?" he asked._

_The boy's eyes met his squarely._

"_You are not aware of what goes on in your own clan, are you Kuchiki-sama?" he asked quietly, "I know you aren't, because if you were, then you would know what caused my injuries. Tell me…why did you ask me here?"_

"_I wanted to know how you have been," Byakuya answered, blinking in surprise at the maturity in the younger boy's answer, in the pride behind the sad eyes, and in the soft swell of power around him, "And now that I know, I must ask you. How does one of your level of power get beaten up like that?"_

"_You don't want an answer to that, Kuchiki-sama," the boy said, holding his gaze steadily, "Now, if I have satisfied your curiosity, may I be excused? I have duties to attend to at home."_

_Byakuya placed a hand on Tetsuya's arm and the boy flinched, and pulled away, the blue eyes widening and becoming panicked as they had the day of his mother's funeral._

"_Tetsuya-kun…" he said softly, "You do not need to fear me."_

"_I am not afraid of you."_

"_Then why are you afraid?"_

_The boy's lips tightened and he remained silent._

"_Tetsuya-kun, answer me. Why are you frightened?"_

_The boy gave him a tormented look._

"_Oh…very well," he said finally, "because you are the leader and you have required it of me. I am afraid that if you try to hurt me, I will lose control and fight back."_

_Byakuya's eyes narrowed._

"_You…are afraid you will…fight back? You should fight back if you are attacked! Why would you not?"_

"_G-gomen nasai," said Tetsuya, looking deeply unnerved, "I am not allowed to strike my pure blooded cousins, much less, my leader. I would be severely punished."_

"_Even if they hit you first? That's ridiculous! Of course you should fight back!"_

_He thought for a moment as Tetsuya struggled for words._

"_And you are going to," Byakuya said firmly, "Do you have a zanpakutou?"_

_Tetsuya's eyes went saucer wide, then flared and grew angry._

"_I should have known," he said in a wounded voice, "I knew there was something wrong when you defended me! But Kuchiki-sama, this is just cruel! How could you…?"_

_Byakuya blinked in surprise._

"_What?"_

"_How could you think I'm so stupid as to fall into a trap like that!" the boy shouted accusingly, "You know if I appear armed in any noble house or public place, my zanpakutou would be taken and destroyed! You did this to take Re-kuhime away! You monster! How could you?"_

_He turned and started to run, but Byakuya grabbed him and held him tightly in place. Tetsuya froze and Byakuya's heart broke as he realized his cousin was waiting for his leader to begin striking him as punishment for his outburst. Instead, Byakuya wrapped his arms tightly around the boy, holding him close and refusing to let go, even as he began to cry hysterically._

"_Let me go! Let me go!" sobbed Tetsuya, "I didn't do anything to you! Why are you doing this to me? At least the others never tried to take me in like this! They were cruel, but at least they were honest about it!"_

_His legs shook beneath him and finally collapsed altogether. Byakuya dropped onto his knees, holding his cousin like something fragile that he was afraid would be broken._

"_Why?" sobbed Tetsuya, "Why won't you let me go? You never have to look at me. Just let me go. I'll make sure you never have to look at me again, I swear!"_

_He lifted the shaking, crying boy and flash stepped into the manor, carrying him through the gardens, out the back gate and down the forest trail. He stopped at the top of a cliff overlooking a deep blue lake and a waterfall. Tetsuya paused in his crying and looked up at his cousin in dismay._

"_Wh-what are you doing?" he gasped, "Kuchiki-sama!"_

_Byakuya frowned at him._

"_If you do not stop accusing me of trying to trick you, I will drop you into that lake!" he said, trying his best to sound stern.  
"What? You are crazy, Kuchiki-sama!" exclaimed Tetsuya, "Stop!"_

"_You can swim, ne?"_

"_Hai, but…"_

"_Now, the first rule is when we are together in my home. You are not to call me Kuchiki-sama like the servants do."_

"_But…Kuchiki-sama, I am not allowed…"_

"_You are here. Now say it."_

"_K-kuch…"_

"_I will drop you if you don't say it!"_

"_But I…?"_

"_This is your last warning."_

_Tetsuya gave him a horrified stare and went silent._

"_Okay then, you defy me and you pay, Cousin," he said, holding the boy tightly and leaping over the edge._

_Halfway down, he released Tetsuya, and the two crashed down into the lake. Byakuya sank down, then rose to the surface to see his cousin swimming away frantically. He caught Tetsuya at the water's edge and dragged him to the top of the cliff again._

"_Now, then," he said, "What do you call me when we are here?"_

"_Kuchiki-sama, please, I will be beaten!" Tetsuya pleaded, "If anyone hears…"_

"_Wrong answer, Cousin," Byakuya said, leaping from the cliff again._

_They crashed down into the water again, and again Tetsuya tried and failed to escape._

"_I will ask you again," Byakuya said, carrying the soaked and panting boy back to the top of the waterfall._

"_P-please, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya said wearily, "I don't know what to do anymore. You are confusing me."_

"_It's not confusing," Byakuya said quietly, "I am going to help you get stronger, Tetsuya. So that when someone tries to hurt you, you will fight back, and you will win."_

_His cousin stared up at him in disbelief._

"_I was right!" he exclaimed, shakily, "You are crazy…"_

"_How dare you!" said Byakuya, smirking, "How dare you talk back to me!"_

_Tetsuya was caught unprepared as they sailed over the edge of the cliff and back into the water. And that time, just before they crashed down, for the first time, Byakuya heard the light, beautiful sound of his cousin's laughter._

_They dragged themselves onto the shore and laid in the long meadow grass, allowing their bodies and clothes to dry in the sunshine._

"_It is good to see you look happy for a change," Byakuya said quietly, "Your eyes look sad too often, Tetsuya-kun."_

"_I know how people are and it makes me sad," said his cousin, shivering even under the warmth of the afternoon sun, "I still don't know if I can trust you, Byakuya-sama."_

"_No, of course not," Byakuya said, brushing the hair out of the younger boy's eyes, "Trust doesn't happen all at once. But I will prove to you that you can trust me. And I won't let them hurt you anymore, Tetsuya."_

_His cousin sighed softly and regarded him with wide blue eyes that still held disbelief. Byakuya shook his head disapprovingly and reached over to the edge of the water, filling one hand with mud._

"_Now then," he said, narrowing his eyes, "You are going to start learning to fight back."_

"_B-byakuya-sama!" gasped Tetsuya, rolling away, "Byakuya-sama, you wouldn't!"_

_Byakuya laughed softly and released the handful of mud at Tetsuya. Minutes later, the two were rolling around in the mud, wrestling and heedlessly laughing. Afterward, they washed off in the lake and collapsed together at the edge, breathing in the lovely scents and watching the afternoon work its way on to evening._

"_Will you train with me, then?" Byakuya asked softly, "I will teach you to be very strong, Tetsuya._

"_Strong enough to protect my father? So he won't be killed as my mother was?" the boy asked._

_Byakuya took a shocked breath._

"_But I thought that your mother…"_

"_I know," said Tetsuya, "That is what they want everyone to think. And I don't have any proof, just that I feel it. And I don't want my father to die because of me. So I'll trust you, Byakuya-sama, but you must promise not to take Re-kuhime away! She is the only way I have of being strong enough to protect my father!"_

"Damn," Renji mused, tears leaking onto his face, "I always wondered why he was so shy...why it was like pulling teeth to get him to talk to me, at first. What he went through, just as a kid...it's awful, Taichou. It makes me wonder how you ever got them to allow Hisana and Rukia into the family."

"It was difficult," the noble admitted, "It caused deep divisions in the family. And it was after Rukia's adoption that the first abduction occurred. There have been a few over the years...and some were never found. But then, more recently, the number abducted increased."

"Makes me wonder how Tetsuya got away from them. He must have, ne? That's why he's not dead too."

"Most probably," Byakuya agreed.

"So...you were saying that Tetsuya trained with you so that he could protect his dad?"

"Yes," Byakuya whispered, tears in his eyes as he remembered, "But Kuchiki Takao died suddenly a few years after I began to train Tetsuya. There were questions and suspicions, and Tetsuya relapsed into helplessness for a time. But he was there for me when my father died as well, and he was my only true friend and confidante ever after. Over the years, the shyness and flightiness gave way to strength and stoutness of heart. But now, Tetsuya's life has come crashing down around him. He could lose everything, Renji, and it seems that there is nothing that I can do."

Renji laid a supportive hand on Byakuya's shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay. We'll help him, Taichou."

Byakuya gazed down at Tetsuya, barely hearing Renji's words.

"Tetsuya," he whispered softly, lifting his cousin's limp hand to his cheek, "I swear we will do everything we can to see you healed. And I will never stop until the ones who did this are found! I promise…"

"But, where do we start?" Renji asked softly.

"There is only one group that could have known how to employ the Breeders' Rite," Byakuya answered, a coldness seeping into his voice, "The Kuchiki Council of Elders…"

"What?" Renji breathed, "your own family? But, Taichou...!"

"But which were involved?" Byakuya went on, as though to himself, "Were they all involved?"

His eyes returned to Tetsuya's ruined body.

"I won't stop until I know everything and make them pay for this!" he promised his cousin.


End file.
